BBB Institute, Walmart launch campaign on safe holiday shopping

The BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, the International Association of Better Business Bureau’s educational foundation, is partnering with Walmart to prepare people to stay safer when shopping online during the holiday season.

The two organizations will launch an educational campaign (BBB.org/ShopSmart) that reminds consumers to take precautions for a safe holiday shopping experience and specifically, “Do your part. Shop smart.”

“A higher percentage of people reported being targeted online and via social media, according to our research,” said BBB Institute Executive Director Melissa Lanning. “We want to alert consumers to take precautions while they are online, even if they are not shopping. Our partnership with Walmart will provide tips on how people can protect themselves and their families from scams during this holiday season.”

The digital campaign highlights data reported by consumers to BBB Scam TrackerSM, an online prevention and reporting tool that enables people to report and search scam reports.

According to the latest BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report, the percentage of people who reported engaging with a scammer via social media rose more than 60 percent from 2022 to 2023.

“The holiday season is an exciting time for Walmart, our associates and our customers,” said Claire Rushton, Senior Director of Global Security for Walmart and a member of BBB’s Corporate Trust Council, “We’re thrilled to support BBB’s tools designed to help everyone to have a safer, more convenient and fun experience shopping for their loved ones.”

BBB Institute and Walmart encourage consumers to watch out for:

• Unfamiliar sellers/websites. Research the product offer and the seller. You could end up with fake items or no product at all.
• “Porch pirates.” Millions of packages are stolen every year. Take steps to protect your deliveries.
• Gift card scams. Be cautious of requests for payment with gift cards. Legitimate businesses will never ask for that.
• Fraudulent social media ads/posts. Always research the seller website. You might be left with fraudulent charges on your payment method and/or pay for something you never receive.

About BBB and BBB Institute
For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau® has been helping people find businesses, brands, and charities they can trust. In 2023, people turned to BBB more than 218 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 5.3 million businesses and Charity Reports on about 12,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org.The BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust (BBB Institute) is the BBB’s educational foundation, whose mission is to educate and protect consumers, promote best practices for businesses, and solve complex marketplace problems. BBB Institute’s consumer educational programs are delivered both digitally and in-person by Better Business Bureaus serving communities across the U.S. and Canada. You can find more information about BBB Institute and its programs at BBBMarketplaceTrust.org.

About Walmart
Walmart Inc. is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better — anytime and anywhere — in stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 255 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 19 countries. With fiscal year 2024 revenue of $648 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy, and employment opportunity.  Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/walmart, on X (formerly known as Twitter) at twitter.com/walmart, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/walmart.